Socialisation or self-interest? Explaining public attitudes towards government support for rural areas

Since the Second World War, rural areas in developed countries have witnessed a steady population decline. In Europe, this development has led to political initiatives to revitalise rural areas through the extensive EU Rural Development Policy containing rather substantial funding. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the public’s opinion on government support for rural areas. Based on a national survey, this paper investigates this question in a Danish context. The paper contains two main results. First, it indicates that the large majority of the Danish population favours government support to rural areas. Second, examining the impact of self-interest and socialisation on attitudes towards government support for rural areas, it finds that only self-interest plays a role.